


Being Difficult

by orphan_account



Series: The Ups and Downs of Parenting [2]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Love, Humor, I Will Now Use it Forever, One Word to Describe a Group of Turtles is Bale, Protective Older Brothers, i love that, it's great
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:54:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23897833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Sometimes, Mikey hated being the youngest brother. Yes, there were upsides, most of which involved him being spoiled to no end, but then there were downsides. Ones he absolutely hated. Especially when it came to being in a situation where Leo is the adult of the evening.
Series: The Ups and Downs of Parenting [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1682140
Comments: 3
Kudos: 87





	Being Difficult

**Author's Note:**

> I genuinely don't know how to feel about this fic. I was bored when I wrote it, and it wasn't anywhere _near _what I envisioned it to be.__

"Hold still! You've got a smudge on your face!"

"No!"

"Mikey! Get back here!"

"NO!

"Mikey!"

_"Leave me alone!"_

_" **HAMATO MICHELANGELO!** "_

A loud, drawn out, displeasured whine filled the lair as Mikey trudged towards his eldest brother, stopping and putting on a grumpy look. This look did nothing to stop Leo, however, and the blue banded turtle grabbed a nearby paper towel, licking it before wiping a bit of food off Mikey's cheek. Disgusted hissing came from Mikey, earning him a light bonk on the head.

"Look, I understand that you don't want to do this, but there is literally _no other way_ we can do this." Leo stated, continuing to rub at Mikey's cheek. "This dinner is very important, and we need to make sure that we do everything in our power to- _what is on your face???"_

"Permanent. Marker." Mikey replied gruffly, crossing his arms and pouting like a hatchling. Leo rolled his eyes, sighing through his nose before starting to rub at the mark once more. "You're not getting it off. I put on multiple layers."

"Actually, I may have a quick solution for that!" Donnie chimed, walking up to his brothers and handing Leo a small pad. With a hum, Leo rubbed the pad along the smudge, smiling with satisfaction as it immediately disappeared. "Dear Plato, it actually worked? I mean- of course it worked! _I_ made it after all!"

"Leo, how come I have to go with you guys? Aren't you always talking about how I keep screwing things up? What if I "accidentally" do something to mess up the mission?" Mikey's question was genuine, but his motive behind it was flimsy. Everyone knew how much Mikey hated fancy dinners, but had never really figured out why. Donnie had suggested that it could have something to do with the food, its texture, and its presentation, but without Mikey's admittance, they would never truly know.

"Mikey, I get that you aren't too pleased with this, but we're going to need as much manpower as possible. Now stop complaining, go to the bathroom, brush _and_ floss your teeth, and then get rid of all these loose scales on your- actually, I'll do that part." Leo then took it upon himself to pluck off the many loose scales on his brother's face, keeping a tight grip on Mikey's cheeks as he did so.

"Leo, if you keep this up I don't think you'll be getting a Mother's Day card this year." Raph chuckled, carefully straightening the tuxedo he was wearing.

"Raph, hush." Leo scoffed, finishing up the plucking before urging Mikey into the bathroom. When the youngest was out of earshot, Leo turned to face his hotheaded brother. "I _always_ get a Mother's Day card."

* * *

"Alright boys, remember to be on your best behavior. Do your best to keep tabs on our target, and don't draw any unnecessary attention to your-"

"HEY EVERYBODY! LOOK AT ME DAN-"

All at once, Mikey had three pairs of hands flying over his mouth, accompanied by three pissed off brothers. In response, all Mikey did was give a cheeky smile, not giving Raph the satisfaction of earning a pained shout as he bonked Mikey on the head. A collective sigh was like music to Mikey's ears, and he waited patiently for his brothers to fight about who didn't want to take him. When this happened, Mikey chuckled internally.

"Well, since no one wants me, I guess I'll just go back to the-"

"You're coming with me." Leo ordered firmly. When Mikey started to openly complain, Leo was forced to stare the little one down. With a whimper, Mikey avoided eye contact, relaxing his posture, and tucking his tail. "Ugh... you know how I hate to do that to you..."

"I don't want to go in." Mikey muttered for what had to be the fourteenth time that day. It was then when Mikey fell forward, waiting for someone to ask what was going on now. Sure enough, Donnie did, and Mikey hummed. "Gee, I dunno Dee! I just feel so faint! My palms are sweaty! My knees are weak! My arms are heavy! I feel sick, like I'm about to throw up mom's spaghetti!"

"Boy, I _know_ you did not just paraphrase the song Lose Yourself..." Donnie looked Mikey dead in the eye with this comment, facepalming when he got no denials. "Leo, will you _please_ stare him down again?"

"What? No!"

"Fearless, it's the only thing that shuts him up long enough for us to actually come up with a plan! Just do it! It ain't like he's gonna be scarred for life because of it!" Raph scoffed, poking Mikey's belly, holding back a fond smirk upon hearing Mikey giggle. In the meantime, Leo was busy contemplating whether or not he could man- excuse me, _turtle_ -up enough to use such a forceful method to put Mikey in his place. "Leo..."

"Fine." Leo grumbled, waiting for Mikey to stand before locking eyes with the younger. For what seemed like hours- but was only one minute -Mikey's bright, sky blue eyes stared straight into Leo's dark, sapphire blue ones. It took no longer than that minute for Mikey to begin whimpering once more, getting onto the ground, avoiding every bit of eyes contact possible, and taking a Dogeza position. Leo frowned at the sight, waiting two beats before allowing Mikey to stand up. It was then when Leo turned to face Raph and Donnie. "There. Now here's what we're going to do..."

* * *

"Mikey, put the fork down."

"Why?"

"It isn't time to use it, and it's rude to play with eating utensils during such a serious event."

"That's dumb."

Leo growled under his breath, pinching the bridge of his snout before taking the fork out of Mikey's hands. Not a word of protest was given, and Leo watched in curiosity as Mikey did nothing more than lay his head down on the table. Thinking that this was the last time Mikey was going to act out, Leo smirked, placing the fork down, and sitting straight, looking around for the intended target. Almost immediately, Mikey gave an annoyingly exaggerated sigh, slamming his face down onto the tabletop.

"Mikey, _please,_ I understand that you don't like this, but could you at least _pretend_ to be okay with it?" Leo asked, the desperation in his voice clear.

"Why should I? It's not like I'm to get anything out of-"

"Twenty bucks."

"Wait, _what?_ _"_

"I will give you twenty bucks if you agree to not be difficult anymore tonight."

"Hmm... thirty."

"Twenty-one."

"Twenty-four fifty."

"Deal."

"Ugh, this is gonna be the hardest money I've ever had to earn."

* * *

"Have any of you seen anything?"

"No."

"Not a thing."

"No mom, I have not."

Without even hearing it, Leo could practically _feel_ Raph and Donnie snickering at the comment, narrowing his eyes as he glared at Mikey. A wry smile graced its way onto Mikey's face, and he poked Leo's cheek, fighting the urge to make a snide remark along with the action. For the next two hours, Leo was stuck dealing with his brother's antics, constantly promising to up his negotiation price if Mikey would stop acting out every hour. By the end of the dinner, none of the brothers had caught sight of the target, and they were forced to leave the dinner empty handed.

 _Especially_ Leo.

"Ahem! My money, good sir!" Mikey reminded haughtily, outstretching his arm. Reluctantly, Leo retrieved his wallet from the Shell Raiser, handing Mikey nearly $200 dollars in cash, and grimacing as all he received was a measly one dollar and fifty cents. With a happy laugh, Mikey hugged his older brother, giving Leo a big smooch on the cheek before bounding into the Shell Raiser. "Come on guys! This money isn't gonna spend itself!"

"You paid that twerp to behave during the mission?" Raph asked in shock, his eyes wide. Leo nodded, slowly trudging into the Shell Raiser. It didn't take long for the quartet to get home, making their way into the lair with a rare calmness. "So, Mikey, what are you gonna spend the money on? Some dumb comic?"

"Nope! I'm gonna buy Leo the most expensive Mother's Day card I can find!" Mikey shouted, giving Raph a light punch on the arm before running back into his own room. With that knowledge, Leo smiled widely, sending Raph a smug look.

"What?"

"Told you I always get a card."


End file.
